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Monday, July 20, 2009

Article: Rooted in history

Sunday July 19, 2009

By KEE HUA CHEE

IT'S amazing that the 132ha of the British Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, sit in a city. Here's another amazing thing: despite its location in the polluted atmosphere of London's south-west, the Kew gardens are perpetually lush and luxuriant.

There are more wonderful facts about this green space: Its herbarium is one of the world's largest with seven million specimens while its seed bank is the planet's most comprehensive with 1.5 billion seeds. The gardens now reportedly have one out of eight plants existing on this planet!

These are just a fraction of the gardens' world-beating facts. Yet their beginnings were so modest. There has been some form of an "exotic" garden on this site as far back as the 16th century for royal amusement but it was only when William Aiton was appointed royal gardener in 1759 by Princess Augusta, Princess of Wales and mother of King George III, that the gardens were officially established.

An early photograph of the Palm House being built in 1844. It was completed in 1848.

Then it was a humble and manageable 3.5ha "physic" garden, now it's 132ha. In 1987, another Princess of Wales, the late Princess Diana, opened the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which houses 10 climate zones.

The fledgling Kew gardens' botanical ventures begun in earnest with the completion of the Chinese Pagoda in 1762. At a lofty 50m, it was considered the height of exotic grandeur, though it looks rather out of place today. Still, it remains the main draw for Chinese tourists, charmed to see a touch of home in England.

The botanist who made the gardens world famous is Joseph Banks (1743-1820), whose expeditions to collect plants from the (then) known world are the stuff of legend. He sailed to Australia and gave his name to one of its most popular plants, banksia. His ship's captain was none other than James Cook and the ship was the renowned Endeavour.

The plants Banks brought back to Britain caught the attention of King George III and, in 1778, the botanist was appointed president of the Royal Society (the venerable Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, popularly known simply as the Royal Society), a post he held for 41 years.

Another botanist who dedicated his life to the Kew gardens was Francis Masson (1741-1805). At Banks' instructions, Masson brought back over 1,000 living plants rather than dried or preserved specimens from Captain Cook's second global circumnavigation. Masson introduced geraniums to Britain and stunned its high society with birds of paradise plants. He even stopped by the Malay peninsula to cart back the giant titan arum lily, whose descendants can be admired (in full bloom currently) in the Palm House.

The gardens have another connection with Malaysia, of course: in 1876, the Kew gardens received 70,000 seeds of rubber, collected by one Henry Wickham from their native jungle, the Amazon. The seeds were planted, but only 2,800 germinated. Some of the seedlings were sent to Sri Lanka and Malaysia where they did well, were propagated, and, in this country, became the basis of one of our key industries, rubber. (Sourced from kew.org.)

By the start of the 19th century, every ship returning from each British colony had been instructed to bring back at least one new plant for the gardens. By the start of the 20th century, Britain had colonised one-quarter of the world's population so it is not surprising that the Kew gardens, more than any other botanical park, had a head start in amassing its botanical treasures.

The gardens now have over 30,000 different types of plants and some 14,000 trees.

With six monumental greenhouses and 132ha to play with, the gardens have surprisingly few formal areas, as the layout is informal and natural-looking.

Instead of being severely elegant, the flowers, shrubs, plants and trees are allowed to thrive and grow in near wild profusion, though it is obvious the parklands are maintained by man's handiwork.

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IAHAIO Geneva Declaration

Preamble

Recent research is demonstrating the various benefits of companion animals to people's well-being, personal growth, and quality of life.

In order to enable their presence and ensure the harmonious companionship of animals in our lives, owners, and governments both have duties and responsibilities.

IAHAIO members have adopted five fundamental resolutions at their General Assembly, held in Geneva on 5 September 1995. IAHAIO urges all international bodies concerned and all national governments to consider and activate the following resolutions.

Resolutions

To acknowledge the universal non-discriminatory right to pet ownership in all places and reasonable circumstances, if the pet if properly cared for and does not contravene the rights of non-pet owners.

To take appropriate steps to ensure that the human environment is planned and designed to take the special needs and characteristics of pets and their owners into account.

To encourage the regulated presence of companion animals in schools and school curricula, and to work to convince teachers and educators of the benefits of this presence through appropriate training programmes.

To ensure regulated companion animals access into hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, and other centres for the care of people of all ages who are in need of such contact.

To officially recognize as valid therapeutic interventions those animals that are specifically trained to help people overcome the limitations of disabilities; to foster the development of programs to produce such animals; and to ensure that education about the range of capabilities of these animals is included in the basic training of the health and social service professions.

IAHAIO Prague Declaration

Preamble

There is much research now available to prove that companion animals can add to the Quality of Life of the humans to whom they may provide practical assistance or therapy.

IAHAIO members believe that those who train animals and deliver the service to others must ensure the Quality of Life of the animals involved. Programmes offering animal-assisted activities or animal-assisted therapy for the benefit of others should be governed by basic standards, regularly monitored, and be staffed by appropriately trained personnel.

IAHAIO members have therefore adopted four fundamental guidelines at their General Assembly held in Prague in September, 1998. IAHAIO urges all persons and organizations involved in animal-assisted activities and/or animal-assisted therapy, and all bodies governing the presence of such programmes in their facilities to consider and abide by the following points.

Organizations adhereing to the above four guidelines will be invited to join IAHAIO as Affiliate Members.

IAHAIO Rio Declaration

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools

Given the strong evidence that has accumulated in recent years demonstrating the value, to children and juveniles. of social relationships with companion animals it is important that children be taught proper and safe behaviour towards those animals and the correct care, handling and treatment of the various companion animal species.

Realising that companion animals in school curricula encourage the moral, spiritual and personal development of each child, bring social benefits to the school community and enhance opportunities for learning in many different areas of the school curriculum, IAHAIO members have adopted fundamental guidelines on pets in schools at their General Assembly, held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2001.

IAHAIO urges all school authorities and teachers, as well as all persons and organisations involved in pet programmes for schools, to consider and abide by the following guidelines:

Programmes about companion animals should, at some point, allow personal contact with such animals in the classroom setting. Depending on school regulations and facilities, these animals will : a) be kept, under suitable conditions, on the premises, or b) be brought to school by the teacher, or c) come to visit, in the context of a visiting programme, together with their owners, or d) accompany, as a service dog, a child with special needs.

Any programme involving personal contact between children and companion animals must ensure: a) that the animals involved are

safe (specially selected and/or trained),

healthy (as attested by a veterinarian),

prepared for the school environment (e.g. socialized to children, adjusted to travel in the case of visiting animals),

properly housed (either in the classroom or while at home), and

always undersupervision of a knowledgeable adult (either the teacher or the owner);

b) that safety, health and feelings of each child in the class are respected.

Prior to the acquisition of classroom animals or visitation of the class by programme personnel with companion animals that meet the above criteria, both school authorities and parents must be informed and convinced of the value of such encounters.

Precise learning objectives must be defined and should include: a) enhancement of knowledge and learning motivation in various areas of the school curriculum b) encouragement of respect and of a sense of responsibility for other life forms c) consideration of each child's expressive potential and involvement.

The safety and well-being of the animals involved must be guaranteed at all times.

IAHAIO Tokyo Declaration

IAHAIO Tokyo Declaration

Given the scientific and medical evidence proving the beneficial effects to humanhealth and well being arising from interactions with companion animals,given the biological and psychological evidence for the innate affinity of humansto nature, including other living beings and natural settings,the members of the International Association of Human-Animal InteractionOrganizations unanimously approved the following resolution and guidelines foraction at the IAHAIO General Assembly held on October 5, 2007 in Tokyo,Japan.

It is a universal, natural and basic human right to benefitfrom the presence of animals.

Acknowledgement of this right has consequences requiring action in variousspheres of legislation and regulation. IAHAIO urges all international bodies andnational and local governments:

1. To enact housing regulations which allow the keeping of companionanimals if they can be housed properly and cared for adequately, whilerespecting the interests of people not desiring direct contact with suchanimals;

2. To promote access of specially selected and trained, healthy, and cleananimals to medical care facilities to participate in animal-assisted therapyand/or animal-assisted activities;

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